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Feline health research grants awarded

The Winn Feline Foundation in late March announced grants totaling $174,018 had been awarded to 10 feline health studies.

Forty-four proposals were submitted by researchers seeking funding in the 2012 review cycle. To date, Winn’s cumulative total in feline health research funding exceeds $4 million.

One project received a grant through the Ricky Fund Project to study the efficacy of a mixed endothelin A-endothelin B receptor antagonist in cats with arterial thromboembolism. Another study was awarded a grant through the Bria Fund Project to research anti-immune evasive therapy in the treatment of feline infectious peritonitis.

Two breed-specific studies are being funded in the current 2012 cycle. The first project intends to map the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy gene in the Sphynx cat, while the other study is a molecular characterization of progressive retinal atrophy in Bengal cats.

Dr. Vicki Thayer, Winn president, said, “The Foundation looks forward to seeing the results of these projects and to sharing them with the veterinary community as well as with cat owners and pedigreed cat breeders.”

A listing of the projects available for sponsorship appears at the end of the descriptions. Donations can be made online at www.winnfelinehealth.org.